Apparatus for manufacturing gas



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- APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS. No; 502,125. A Patented July 25,1893.

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APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS.

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UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. KIRKHAM, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,125, dated July 25,1893. Application filed December 15, 1892- Serlal No. 455,258. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. KIRKHAM, a resident of Terre Haute, in thecounty of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Gas; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to furnaces for the manufacture of gas frombituminous coal, and has for its object to increase their efficiency andcapacity and to diminish practically the cost of building and operatingthem; and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter describedand particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a vertical central section ofthe improved ap- Figs. 2, 3 and 4. are transverse sections on lines 22,33 and 4. 4: respectively of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevationof a detail.

The apparatus includes coal-coking and coke-decomposing chambers denotedby l and 2 respectively and a superheater 3 and the usual adjuncts ofsuch apparatus. Preferably the walls of both the furnace and superheaterare made of refractory brick inolosed by a metallic shell and situatedbelow the plane of an operating floor 11.

4 denotes a grate below the gas generating or coke decomposing chamber,and 5 and 6 denote tightly closing doors adapted to give access whendesired to the space above and below the grate.

6' is a tightly closing charging door in the upper part of the generatorand 6 is a similar door or cover for the charging inlet of the cokingchamber.

Air inlet ports below the grate are denoted by 7 and a steam inlet by 8.

7 denotes air inlets and 8 a steam inlet at or near the top of thegenerator.

Air ports in the region of the coking chamber are denoted by 7 and inthe top of the superheater by 7".

9 indicates a main blast pipe, which in practice will be connected witha fan or other device for moving the air through the apparatus. In somecases exhausting devices such as indicated at 10 may be relied upon toproduce the necessary draft. The air ports 7" in thebase and top of thesuperheater may communicate with the air main 9 or with an independentair conduit if desired.

The top of the generator is provided with a series of piers 12 uponwhich stand vertical partitions composed of the refractory tile 13 whichextends from the piers to the arched roof of the furnace. These tilehave preferably a tongue and groove connection as shown at 13 in Fig. 5,and are each, provided with an opening 14. The series of tile arearranged about a circularspace or coking chamber 1 and the radial spacesbetween them have free communication with the said chamber through thepassages 16 and with each other through the openings 14. The exterioredge of each tile is held between projecting bricks 17 suitably laid inthe wall and arranged to extend inwardly as shown. The inner edges ofthetiles may be provided with-projections or studs 18 disposed atintervals in a vertical direction to prevent the closing of the spacesor passages 16 by accidental lateral movement of the said tiles. Thebottom of each lower tile is enlarged to provide a broad foot to restupon a pier and to contract the spaces between the tile at that point.The tile gradually increase in width and decrease in thickness towardthe top of the furnace whereby the upper port of the coking chamber 1 isdecreased in diameter and the inter tile spaces kept of uniformdimensions, circumferentially.

The coking chamber has a vertical axis and a frustro-conical shape toprovide for the easy descent of the charge therein and it is madeaccessible to air and gases through the passages between the tile on allsides to enable the charge to be subjected to their action for the morespeedy, convenient and thorough coking of bituminous coal. Without thevertical passages surrounding the coking chamber, bituminous coal cannotbe coked with suficient rapidity in a vertically disposed chamber orretort and if the coking chamber be made inclined to permit the passageof gases above the coal to be coked it requires to be pushed down intothe generator and it is coked unevenly and imperfectly therein. Thebottom and top of the superheater are connected with the ash pit andwith the upper part of the furnace respectively by gas fines 19 and 20having valves 19' and 20 op erated by levers 19" and 20". The chamber inthe upper part of the superheater is provided with oil supply pipes 21.A central flue or retort for passage and fixing of gases is denoted by22. This has an outlet 23 closed byadoor 24 and situated under a chimney25.

Projections from the wall of the flue 22 are denoted by 26 which areadapted to break up ascending currents of hot gases and also to absorb aportion of their heat, which will be given out when gases to be fixedare subsequently passed through.

22 denotes a continuation of the gas flue outside the superheater and 27a valve in the same.

28 is a pipe to conduct hot producer gas to a furnace and 29 a pipeadapted to take gas to a scrubber and holder.

The improvement is not limited to particular dimensions but thefollowing are suitable. The furnace and the superheater may be made eachten feet in diameter and thirty feet high. The generator can be abouteight feet in height above the grate bars and the coking chamber thirtyfeet in height. The spaces between the tile may vary from an inch orless at their inner edges to a foot next the outer wall. The tile canvary in thickness and may be of any desired length. The flue 22 can bemade over a foot in diameter and sufficiently large if desired to allowaccess for inspection and repairs.

The apparatus is operated as follows: In beginning coke or. hard coal ischarged into the generator and bituminous coal into the coking chamberand the former is ignited. The products of combustion, the valve 19being closed and valve 20 open, are forced by the blast or exhaust or byboth through the spaces between the tile and up around the bituminouscoal. They are free to expand and circulate through the openings in thetile which latter are heated thereby and conduct and radiate heat intothe coal which is coked by such heat and by the actual contact of theascending products of combustion which latter will be enriched by thevolatile hydrocarbons of the bituminous coal, and further combustionproduced by air admitted through ports 7 and 7". The hot products arepassed down through the looselyv piled brick work and heat them, and arethen passed up through the central line 22 and out into the open air orto any desired exit from the apparatus. After the apparatus has beenheated up by the method described and the contents of the generatorlowered the hot coke just produced descends more or less of it into thegenerator and a fresh supply of bituminous coal is charged into theretort. Steam is passed through the incandescent coke on the grate andis decomposed and the water gas thereby produced is passed up throughand about the retort with the effect to volatilize the lighterconstituent of the fresh charge. The mingled gas and and hydrocarbonvapor in case a small amount of air is admitted can be further enrichedby additions of oil in the top of the superheater and the mixture fixedby the heat of the brick work, the gas being sent through a pnrifier andscrubber to a holder or if desired, direct to boiler furnaces. It isalso obvious that the apparatus can be used to generate producer gas foruse in such furnaces. According to another method of operation valve 20is closed and valve 19' opened and steam admitted through the ports inthe top of the generator and passed down through incandescent coal togenerate water gas which is passed through conduit 19 into the base ofthe superheater. Oil being simultaneously admitted at the top of thesuperheater is vapori'zed and heated therein and blended with the hotwatergas in the bottom of the superheater and fixed in flue 22 made hotby a previous heating up operation such as described in connection withthe first method.

It maybe noted that both the coking chamber 1 and the line or retort 22are surrounded by a mass of material constantly heated by hot gases.They will therefore have a high temperature suitable for coking coal inthe first and fixing gases in the second. Coal can be evenly andthoroughly coked in about twenty minutes and it passes by gravity intothe generator where it is decomposed. In some cases the superheater andits interior retort can be heated up by the use of the oil and airinlets, oil vapors being partly burned in the upper chamber and thecombustion completed in the one at the base of the retort Having thusfully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a gas makingapparatus the furnace having the generator situated in the lower partthereof, and its upper part provided with vertical partitions of tilearranged within the outer wall and extending radially toward the centerand inclosing a central coking chamber between their inner faces, saidpartitions being separated bya series of radial chambers communicatinglaterally with said coking chamber and also communicating with an exitnear the furnace top and with the generator below substantially asdescribed.

2. In a gas making apparatus the furnace having the generator situatedin the lower part thereof, and its upper part provided with verticalpartitions of tile having transverse openings, arranged within the outerwall and extending radially toward the center and inclosing a centralcoking chamber between their inner faces, said partitions beingseparated by a series of radial chambers communicating laterally withsaid coking chamber and also communicating with an exit near the furnacetop and with the generator below substantially as described.

3. The furnace having in its lower part a ITO generator and in its upperpart aseries of vertical tile partitions arranged radially and formingan interior coking chamber said partitions-having spaces between themcommunicatin g with the interior coking chamber and with an exit nearthe furnace top, substantially as described.

4. The furnace having in its lower part a generator and in its upperpart a series of vertical tile I partitions arranged radially andforming an interior coking chamber saidpartitions having spaces betweenthem communicating with the interior coking chamber and with an exitnear the furnace top and provided near their inner edges withprojections, substantially as described.

5. The furnace having in its lower part a generator and in its upperpart a series of vertical tile partitions arranged radially and formingan interior coking chamber said par-' titions having spaces-between themcommunicating with the interior coking chamber and with an exit near thefurnace top and having their outer edges held by projections from theinner surface of the furnace wall, substantially as described.

6. Thefurnace having. in its lower part a generator and in its upperpart a series of vertical tile partitions arranged radially and formingan interior coking chamber said partitions having spaces between themcommunicating with the interior coking chamber and with an exit near thefurnace top and also with the generator, and air inlets to supply airbetween the partitions, substantially as described.

7. The gas furnace having in its lower part a generator, the partitionsforming the central coking chamber and vertical radial spaces betweenthem in communication with the generator and with the coking chamber andwith an exit at the upper part of the furnace, in combination with thesuperheater whereby hot gases from the generator can be conductedthrough the spaces about the coking chamber and mingled with vapors fromsaid chamber and conveyed to the superheater substantially as described.

8. The furnace having in its lower part a generator, the radialpartitions forming a central coking chamber and having spaces betweenthem in communication with the generator with the coking chamber andwith an exit at the upper part of the furnace,-in

combination with the superheater whereby hot gases from the generatorcan be conducted through the spaces about the coking chamber and mingledwith vapors from said chamber and conveyed to the superheater, and oiland air inlets in the top of the superheater substantially as described.

9. The furnace having the generator in its lower section provided withsteam and air inlet ports at both its upper and lower parts, thesuperposed coking chamber communicating laterally with vertical chambersor passages which communicate with an exit near the furnace top, and thesuperheater having refractory material surrounding a central fixingretort flue and having its base in communication with the base of thegenerator and its top in communication with the coking chamber, andsuitable valves, whereby either water gas, or products of combustion,may be passed up about the coking chamber and down through therefractory material and up through the central retort and whereby eithermay be passed direct to the bottom of the retort and up through thesame, all

. substantially as described.

10. The furnace having the generator in its lower section provided withsteam and air inlet ports at both its upper and lower parts, thesuperposed coking chamber communicating laterally with vertical chambersor passages which communicate with an exit near the furnace top, and-thesuperheater having an oil inlet in its top and refractory materialsurrounding a central fixing retort flue and having its base incommunication with the base of the generator and its top incommunication with the coking chamber, and suitable valves, wherebyeither water gas or products of combustion may be passed up about thecoking chamber and down through the refractory material and up throughthe central retort and whereby either may be passed direct to the bottomof the retort and up through the same and in every case oil or oil vaporadmitted at will to the current of gases, all substantially as setforth.

, In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. KIRKHAM.

Witnesses:

CHAS. 0. WHITE, CHARLES O. REICHERT.

